As water sports enthusiasts, we spend a lot of time in nature and on the water. We are passionate about protecting our environment, putting a stop to ocean littering and doing our bit to make the world a better place. Making a difference starts here with us, where we work, in our packaging and our own facility. Reaching further afield, we want to give our customers the opportunity to make their own contribution to achieving greater sustainability.
Many things need to change if we are to have cleaner oceans and a more sustainable world. A great deal of what is needed to be done is out of our hands. However, there are some things close to home that we can do! And it starts with us. With our company building, in our packaging, how we separate rubbish and correctly dispose of hazardous waste. SVB also supports projects to improve the climate and reduce plastic waste in the world's oceans.
To sustainably protect our climate and not be totally dependent on common electricity sources, SVB has taken steps to make use of the renewable energy of the sun. In 2011, we had 76 solar modules installed on our roofs, each measuring 1 x 1.7 metres, and have thus been able to save a lot of energy to date. But we didn't just stop at that, because the SVB buildings have even more roof space that can be used sensibly and sustainably. The SVB solar power system is being expanded by a total of 400 additional solar modules on an area of around 950m², which now cover the entire energy requirements of our logistics department.
The SVB roof terrace is enclosed by an ecological settled biotope. This green roof garden in the middle of Bremer Airport City does a lot of good for the surrounding area. In addition to improving the indoor climate of the bordering offices through the insulating effect of the green roof, the ecological garden also helps to improve the city climate, due to the positive influence it has on surrounding air temperature, radiation, and humidity. Even though our roof terrace and green garden are on the south side of the building and therefore permanently exposed to sunlight, we have measured lower temperatures here than on areas of the building with regular roofing, especially in summer. This is because the plants growing in our urban biotope absorb short-wave solar radiation and emit latent heat through the evaporation of moisture.
In 2011, SVB moved into its newly renovated facility and was given a "plietsch!" award, meaning "clever" in north German dialect.
SVB saves annually
tons of CO²
in energy costs
It was only a few years ago that we started banning the use of plastic filling material in our packages and now mainly use natural packing materials. We no longer bag small parts such as screws or rivets in plastic, but instead pick them according to your needs and use paper bags. We also try not to dispose of natural packaging materials that our suppliers use in our incoming deliveries, but reuse them.
In 2011, the SVB company moved into its refurbished facility. For the renovation, owner and manager Thomas Stamann received the "plietsch!“ award. To keep up to date on clean energy, with support of the non-profit Bremen Climate Protection Agency 'Energiekonsens,' SVB began investigating how to reduce CO² and save energy. An analysis was carried out and the results were very impressive. SVB was found to prevent the release of approx. 131.5 tons CO² per year, with savings of about 33,500€ annually. The largest proportion of this amount came from the energy saved due to the thermal insulation of the facility building. The surface of the warehouse's roof was extensively insulated, the single-glazed windows were replaced by state-of-the-art double glazing and the building's insulation was upgraded.
We make sure our rubbish is sorted, separated and disposed of correctly. Paper, polystyrene, tape, batteries, cardboard, electronic scrap, plastic waste, and so on - everything is sorted!
Batteries and rechargeable batteries follow us around in so many devices that we use every day. Therefore, an environmentally suitable method of disposal is of great importance to us. In 2012 alone, around 43,549 tonnes (= 1.5 billion pieces) of portable batteries were consumed. On average, each consumer buys 20 batteries a year. SVB disposes of batteries in an environmentally friendly manner, by using a recognised disposal company. You can also return your batteries to us in an envelope with sufficient postage or you can hand them in directly to our logistics department at no charge.
Electronic appliances are increasingly becoming an essential part of life today. However, they do tend to have a limited service life. Defective or old devices, which are sometimes still in working condition, end up in landfill and become problematic electronic waste. In Germany, about 2 million tonnes of it are produced every year at present. To achieve a reduction in total environmental pollution, the EU introduced the WEEE guidelines 2002/96/EG (WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in 2003. These guidelines were created in order to structure an environmentally suitable method of taking back and disposing of electronic devices. Additionally, the RoHS 2002/95/EG (RoHS – Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances) was put into effect around the same time, in order to limit the use of certain dangerous substances within electronic devices. In Germany, both guidelines have been put into a national law: The Electronic Device Law (ElektroG).
For us, taking responsibility for the people we work with also means sustainability. Our most important principles are equality, opportunities for development, family, being multinational and diversity.
We support innovative ideas
Thomas Stamann, founder
Why we offer our support. Trees are like good friends: you can't live without them! They absorb CO2 to improve the world's climate, give us raw materials with which we can build a thousand great wooden things on board, and they've always been with us, including in myths and sayings. We believe we have a responsibility to improve the world's climate, so we have decided to take this opportunity to support the Mama Earth Foundation. The Mama Earth Foundation plants mangrove forests in the Philippines and supports the commercial cultivation of mahogany and teak in order to stop illegal logging. Their high-quality gift cards include a photo of every tree planted with its coordinates. When you enter it into Google Earth, you can "fly" directly to your tree.
Search and Rescue Association They rescue shipwrecked people from the sea, free people from danger, care for the sick and injured. The sea rescuers are ready for action - around the clock and in any, really any weather.
Your donation keeps the sea rescuers on course. The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) is one of the most modern sea rescue services in the world. The sea rescuers finance their work exclusively through donations and voluntary contributions and are operable around the clock in all weathers on the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
Anyone who has ever visited SVB’s stand at the "Boot" trade fair in Düsseldorf knows that we’re happy to offer our customers a cold ice cream from our 'SVB ice cream trolley', free of charge. But don’t forget to put something in the DGzRS collection boat! Your contributions have helped us to collect several hundred euros are collected every day for the sea rescuers.
In order to offer our customers an alternative to plastic bags and thus contribute to reducing plastic waste, we have designed the "SVB Happy Ocean Bag". This robust cotton bag is 42x42cm large, has a bottom fold and 2 short carrying straps. The SVB Happy Ocean Bag is the perfect size and is not only ideal for your shopping trips at SVB, but also suitable for your everyday use. Its material is environmentally friendly and contributes to reducing plastic waste and pollution on our planet. Boyan Slat has had a great idea and SVB wants to support him and his team. 100% of the proceeds made from the sales of the "SVB Happy Ocean Bag“ are donated to the Ocean Cleanup project.